Electric sign



July 11, 1933. J. z. EARLEY ELECTRIC SIGN Filed June 4, 1932 v lNV NTOR WITNESS J2; ar'ley g BY r 7 W M ATTORNEY Patented July '11, 1933 y 'I 1,917,956

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN EARLEY, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA ELECTRIC SIGN Application filed. June 4, 1932. Serial No. 615,388.

My invention relates to improvements in which is intended to contain the conducting electric signs of the type in which conductive gas. This tube is bent by a glass blower gas is caused to glow by the passage of an over an asbestos pattern, for instance in electric discharge, and it consists in the comthe form of the word Turn. The conductbinations, constructions and arrangements ing gas is introduced and the tube sealed. herein described and claimed, and in the It is then dipped two or threetimes in meltprocess of making the sign. ed parafiine or bees wax. The objectof this In the ordinary sign of the type, that is, treatment is provide a soft buffer coat bethose signs in which tubes that contain contween the glass and the embedding material 0 ductive gases are used, it is necessary to have in which it is to be cast.

strong tubing, and to space this tubing from The word formed from the glass is now the support to satisfy insulation requirelaid down on a. piece of plate glass and a ments. It is also ordinary to pass the tube suitable 24 gauge galvanized iron frame of through openings or holes in the support, proper size and "about inches deep is 15 and these holes are unsightly. A sign made placed around it. Plaster of Paris is poured this way is quite fragile. in and current from a suitable transformer An object of my invention is to provide an is passed through the tubing while the plaselectric sign of the type mentioned in which ter sets up. This current warms the tubing the tubing is supported in suchfla inamier and softens the wax somewhat which takes as to eliminate the danger of breaking the up the difference in expansion and contractube. tion of the two materials, i. e., the glass A further object is to provide an'insulat-' and the plasten. While the plaster is drying support for the tube which obviates the ing from time to time current is passed necessity of clamping devices, posts, tiethrough the tube to soften the wax, thus wires, etc. equalizing any strains that may develop.

A further object is to provide a sign, .When the plaster is' set, the .tubing is making use of a tube of this type, in which lighted and, as the glass is very near the characters are formed, the elements of the surface, the design can be easily seen and characters being exposed, and all connecoutlined on the surface with a pencil. tions cross-overs, double-backs, etc., being Later the plaster is tooled away in some so concealed in plastic material. s form of bevel from those parts of glass in- A further object'is to provide a process tended to be active, that is, those parts which by means of which a sign of this type may will show in the finished sign. be'made at comparatively little expense, the In the drawing the various elements 5 sign being capable of being handled -or which are visible, that is to say, the letters shipped with little liability of breaking. in the present instance, are indicated at 3. Other objects and advantages will appear The connecting portions of-the tube, which in the following specification, and the novel in the present instance are behind the plane features of the invention will be particular-- of the visible portions, are indicated at 4.

ly pointed out in the appended claims. Certain portions of the tube are doubled back My invention is illustrated in the accomupon themselves as shown at 5. The embedpanying drawing forming part of this apding plastic material 6 may be relnforced plication, in which: by wire, as shown at 7, and the ends of the Figure 1 is a face view of a sign contube'are brought out to terminals 8, which- 45 structed in accordance with my invention, are also embedded in the plastic material, and, and to which conductors 9 are connected.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of As will be seen from the drawing, the ele- Fig. 1. ments are disposed in channels formed by In carrying out my invention I make use the cut-away portions 11. This obviates 50 of a transparent tube, such as a'glass tube, the necessity of making channels or troughs of metal, such as are often seen with tubes of this type. By casting the plastic material around the tube and cutting the channels a number of advantages are secured. The tube is held by the plastic material at all portions except at the front exposed sides of the elements. The glass tubing, therefore, does not have to be as thick or as strong as in'the ordinary construction. The intervening connections are completely concealed, thus doing away with blackening these portions.

There are no openings in the sign face to render the latter unsightly and the channels form recesses which are illuminated and which tend to give the effect of a wider element, without the necessity, however, of going to the trouble of providing separate compartments, or channels of metal or other material.

While the invention relates primarily to electric signs, it is obvious that it .could be used in the formation of borders, designs, displays or patterns, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Any suitable plastic material might be used in lieu of the plaster of Paris mentioned.

I claim:

1. An electric sign of the type described comprising a transparent tube having visible portions disposed in a common plane, and connecting portions behind said plane, a plastic coating for said tube and a hardened plastic support embedding the plastic-coated tube, said plastic coating serving as a cushioning means for preventing any fracture of the tube due to the difference in expansion and contractlon between the tube and support.

2. An electric sign of the type described comprising a glass tube having visible portions disposed in a common plane, and connecting portions behind saidplane, a fusible wax coating for said tube and a hardened plastic support imbedding the wax-coated tube, said wax coating serving as a cushioning means for preventing any fracture of the tube due to the difference in expansion and contraction between the tube and the support.

3. The herein described process of making electric signs which consists informing elements of characters in a common plane from certain portions of a glass tube, bending the connecting portions to the rear of said plane, coating the tube with a fusible wax, embedding the coated tube in plastic material and maintaining the wax coating in a plastic condition during thehardening of the plastic material.

4. The herein described process of making electric signs which consists in forming elements of characters in a common plane from certain portions of a glass tube, bending the connecting portions to the rear of said plane, coating the tube with a fusible wax, embedding the coated tube in plastic material and maintaining the wax coating in a plastic condition during the hardening of the plastic material and subsequently cutting away the plastic material and the wax coating to expose one side of the elements.

JOHN Z. EARLEY. 

